Tag Archives: Minneapolis-Arts

Art – along with a certain amount of dust – is in the air as the creative makers of the Northeast Minneapolis arts community ready themselves and their workspaces for Art-A-Whirl 2017! A-A-W is the crowning jewel in the star-studded diadem of the Northeast Minneapolis Arts Agency. (https://nemaa.org/about/ne-minneapolis-arts-district)

Much of the dust is coming from the studios of the artists – a sure sign that this is no ordinary “art fair.” A-A-W is, first and foremost, the nation’s largest open studio tour of the working spaces of artists and crafters who work, and often live, in Northeast. Paintings, pottery, mobiles, furniture, photos, tapestries, sketches, rugs, art books, and a host of unique renderings of the artists’ imaginations and talents are poised for last minute touch-ups and final presentation to the public.

Music also fills the air, much flowing from the studios of A-A-W host artists and crafters. Neighborhood boutiques, coffee shops and the renowned eateries and pubs of Northeast are primed for visitors!

A totally family-friendly weekend A-A-W offers the rare opportunity to tour not only galleries but artists’ working spaces. Visitors of all ages will have a chance to observe the makers of art at work – sculpting, glass blowing, painting, weaving, printmaking, creating photo images, collages, and mixed media works that marry sound and visual images. Future makers will be able to touch, feel, smell, even try their hand at creating art.

Visitors are welcome to wander randomly through the studio buildings, home studios, galleries and storefronts in the neighborhood. Personal experience suggests that a bit of advance planning about walking the hood, identifying studio locations and exploring public transit options is worth the effort.

Fortunately, print and digital guides to A-A-W abound. If you live, work or frequent the hot spots of Northeast, you can pick up a copy of the Artist Directory and Guide at any one of the arts buildings in the community. Or click here (https://nemaa.org/art-a-whirl.) for links to the essentials – the artist directory, map, dining guide, parking information and updates on A-A-W and NEMAA. Take special note of the “How to Whirl” section!

To appreciate the roots of the Northeast Minneapolis Arts Area, take a few minutes to read about the unique history here: (https://nemaa.org/about/history) It’s an evolving story of community development focused on an understanding of the role of the arts in the local economy and in the life of a neighborhood that thrives on creative expression!

Open Access Week (October 20-26) just wasn’t long enough to explore all the permutations on the theme. And so we saved the best for last with celebration of a most wonderful open access book. Before the Museums Came: A Social History of the Fine Arts in the Twin Cities, is the brilliant and beautiful creation of publisher, social historian and attorney Leo John Harris. The book and the creator deserve a bonus day of celebration.

Before the Museums Came offers a virtual walk through Minnesota’s fine arts history – actually through the private fine arts collections of some of the state’s most renowned titans of business and politics. Harris, creator of the open access book, is perhaps best known as the founder of Pogo Press, publisher of arts, history and popular culture. Harris has ventured into open access publishing with his usual commitment to produce a work of significance and beauty.

Focus of this social history of the area’s arts community is on the era spanning the years 1835 till establishment of the Minneapolis Institute of Arts in 1915. Among the noted collectors whose names and stories are known to 21st Century Twin Citians are T.B. Walker and J.J. Hill, both of whom established massive private collections of art from around the globe, collections that established the roots of today’s museums.

Capitalizing on the potential of open access publishing Harris leads a tour through the private collections as well as the institutions and organizations that were created in support of the fine arts. He guides the reader through the early art exhibits and events, the collectors, dealers and artists whose efforts breathed life into the thriving arts community that locals and visitors from around the world enjoy today.

John Lindley, director of the Ramsey County Historical Society, writes that “Harris adroitly explains how art dealers, critics, architects, academics, public libraries, and artists all contributed to the vibrant community interest in the fine arts. As a social history of the fine arts, this book succeeds in documenting the Twin Cities art community prior to 1915 with depth and detail that is unavailable elsewhere. “

The thoroughly researched text is enriched and supplemented by reproductions of artworks, photographs of key players, exhibition sites, studios, art galleries, catalogs and ephemera. The result is both a scholarly work and a unique reading/viewing experience.

Don’t look for a coffee table book at your favorite indie! This is a virtual tome, downloadable at the click of the key. It’s published by DeGruyter Open (formerly Versita), one of the world’s leading publishers of open access content. Though the emphasis of Open Access Week is on scholarly and research works, Harris’ unique exploration of the Twin Cities arts heritage is a breakthrough adventure that will not just inform but delight anyone with an eye for the visual arts and a love for the storied roots of our robust arts community